Tanzania’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector is a lifeline for over a million people, producing roughly a third of the nation’s gold – a hefty contribution to an industry that shapes livelihoods and landscapes alike. Yet, this economic dynamo operates on shaky ground.
Traditional methods like mercury amalgamation and vat leaching dominate, offering quick, cheap results but leaving a trail of environmental ruin and health crises. The future of this vital sector hinges on a bold shift: moving from these outdated practices to cleaner, more efficient technologies like Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP) processing. It’s a change that could balance profit with planetary health, if Tanzania can overcome the hurdles.
Picture the current scene: miners mix mercury with gold ore, heat it, and extract the precious metal. It’s a method as old as it is accessible, but it’s woefully inefficient – capturing just a fraction of the gold while spewing thousands of tonnes of mercury into the air, soil, and rivers each year.
Vat leaching, another go-to technique, uses cyanide to dissolve gold from crushed ore. It’s a step up in recovery but a disaster when paired with sloppy mercury use, leaking toxins into ecosystems and water sources. The fallout is grim: deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss scar the land, while mercury inhalation and contaminated water trigger neurological disorders and developmental harm, especially for women and children near mining sites.
The human and environmental toll is steep, yet these practices persist. Why? They’re cheap and familiar, requiring little upfront investment or expertise – perfect for informal miners scraping by. Formalising this sprawling sector has been a slog, with many operations dodging oversight and amplifying the damage.
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Better way forward
But there’s a better way forward, and it’s called Carbon-in-Pulp, or CIP. Unlike the wasteful, polluting methods of old, CIP uses activated carbon to pull gold from cyanide-leached pulp, boasting recovery rates above 90 per cent when done right. It’s a game-changer: more gold from less ore, less mercury in the environment, and a path to sustainability.
Imagine a CIP plant in a mining hub like Geita, processing a tonne of ore daily for dozens of small-scale miners. Centralising production like this could boost efficiency, cut pollution, and make oversight easier – key steps toward formalizing the sector. Pilot projects, like those from the State Mining Corporation, hint at the potential.
Pair this with initiatives like Mwamba, a group offering joint ventures with compliant labour and environmental standards, and the picture brightens. Mwamba’s CIP services deliver gold in days, not months, with no upfront costs for miners – a lifeline for those strapped for cash.
Tanzania’s push to ditch mercury, spurred by its commitment to the Minamata Convention, aligns perfectly with this shift. Programmes like Planet Gold are already showing progress, with early adopters seeing uptake rise significantly in recent years.
The economic upside is just as compelling. Right now, artisanal miners sell their gold at a steep discount sometimes just 60-70 per cent of its true value – thanks to middlemen and shadowy channels. Centralised CIP facilities, like those proposed for government trading centres, could offer fairer prices, closer to 90-95 per cent of the global rate.
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That’s a powerful incentive to register for licenses and sell legally, a trend already underway with tens of thousands of permits issued in recent years. Better yet, CIP-processed gold can meet international standards, opening doors to export markets and premium prices – a boost that could lift miners out of poverty and into the global economy.
No smooth sailing
But it’s not all smooth sailing. CIP plants aren’t cheap, with setup costs ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cyanide, while contained better than in vat leaching, still demands careful handling and technical know-how – skills many miners lack.
And the scattered, small-scale nature of these operations makes it tough to gather enough ore to justify the investment. These are real barriers, but not insurmountable ones. The government could step in with subsidies or low-interest loans, while partnerships with private players could spread the financial load.
Training programmes and regional processing hubs could bridge the skills gap and pool resources, turning tiny, isolated sites into a networked, efficient system. Cooperatives, already sprouting in places like Geita, if managed well and in accordance with what these cooperatives are supposed to do, could amplify this effort, giving miners collective clout.
The stakes are high. Tanzania loses billions annually to illicit gold flows, a haemorrhage that CIP’s traceability could help staunch. Recent seizures of smuggled gold underscore the urgency. By tying CIP adoption to regulatory oversight – think mandatory audits and cooperative registration – the sector could shift from chaos to order, delivering economic gains without trashing the environment.
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Tanzania’s artisanal miners are at a crossroads. Clinging to mercury and cyanide’s crude alchemy keeps the status quo alive, but at a cost no one can afford. Embracing CIP offers a way out: more gold, cleaner rivers, healthier communities, and a seat at the global table.
It’s a heavy lift, no doubt, but with the right support – financial, technical, and structural – this golden opportunity could reshape the industry for good. The planet, and a million livelihoods, hang in the balance.
Evans Rubara is a Tanzania-based natural resource management specialist. He is available at erubara@outlook.com or on X as @ThePunditsFolly. These are the writer’s own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of The Chanzo. Do you want to publish in this space? Contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com for further inquiries.
